I’ve got a design problem and was wondering if anyone could recommend a suitable product or solution.
I’m building some wing walls for exterior stairs similar to the ones shown in the attached photos. The problem is that the caps will be approximately 18″ wide, so I don’t think I’ll be able to find lumber that large.
I’ve considered: (1) gluing up some caps out of several pieces of solid stock; (2) pouring concrete caps; (3) using some sort of manufactured/plastic product (if one exists). I’ve also thought of having a big sheet metal pan made, but I don’t think I’d like the sharp corners or the general appearance.
Does anyone have any experience with something like this?
Thanks for help/opinions in advance.
BONUS QUESTION: what is the architectural term for these “wing walls” anyway?
Replies
How about marble or granite or something? that should last a while. Unless you've got acid rain, LOL.
Glue up should work too, but get really good stock, and use polyurethane or epoxy glue. Two quartersawn pieces would be a good way to do it.
zak
Zak,
Do you have any direct experience with putting a glued-up surface outside? I figure I'd slope it at about 1/4" per foot, but I'm hesitant that it might get beat up by the weather pretty bad. The last thing I want is to have to redo these things in a couple of years...
Glued up wood seems to work ok on boats. . . I wouldn't worry about it much, using good wood and the right glue. I always think that wood is a good choice for old houses, it just seems right to use the same materials as they did. Wood takes a little maintainence, but it stands the test of time.zak
MDO (sometimes know as sign board) might work well for that.
Tom
Douglasville, GA
I'd seriously consider glueing up PVC stock such as Azek. It can be bought in 4x8 sheets. You can rip it for your 18" and glue it up to a desired thickness. It looks like you won't need more than an 8' piece either, so the sheets should work out nicely, no?
It's a great product for what you're trying to do there. Maybe Mike Smith will come along, he did some wide exterior Azek glueups in a similar exterior situation a year or so back. The pictures he posted looked great.
Mike and Diesel --
Thanks for the idea of using Azek. I've never used it before, so my question is: can it be painted? I don't always trust what the manufacturers claim -- I like to hear what people's real world experiences are.
yes , they like paintMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Like Mike said, yes they can be painted. But I suggest sticking to lighter colors. View Image
Mike and Diesel,
Thanks again for the info. I'd definitely be using a lighter shade of paint, so I don't think that will be a problem.
Let me bounce an idea off you: I'll cut the main slabs to about 16" x 48" from a 3/4" sheet. Then I'll rip some 2-1/2" widths, and glue them onto the main slab to give the appearance of a thicker piece. I'd miter the 2-1/2"-long joints, and butt the long ones. After it's glued up, I'd go around the edges with an 1/8" roundover. Then install and paint. Do you see any problems with this approach?
oughta work fine..
here's some glued up Azek..
Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Thanks for the photos Mike -- the newels look nice! Are they made entirely out of Azec, or just the pyramidal caps?
I'll have to forward these to my neighbor -- he's been trying to come up with an acceptable glued-up newel cap for a number of years now. So far, he's decidedly losing the fight with mother nature. ;) Maybe this will help tilt the scales in his favor.
everything in those pics that is white is Azek, except the rail systemMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
What do you pay for a 4x8 sheet of 3/4", Mike?
Around here the 4x8 sheets are about $160. Only one private lumberyard stocks the stuff, and they are dropping Azek and going with something called Kleer. He says it mills smoother and is cheaper.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
nick.. my yard dropped Koma to switch to Azek..
the Azek does appear to be a product that mills a little better than the KomaMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Nick, all the exterior trim on my house is Kleer because that's what my lumberyard decided to stock. Cheaper for them maybe, but for me it was the same price as Azek or Koma. I think Azek mills the best out of all of them. Kleer is more like Koma in that the inside is more 'textured' than the face. Azek seems to have the best consistency inside and out.View Image
I went through a dozen or more sheets of Azek last summer on several porches, and was just fine with it. I prefer it ove rht ebig box version called NeverRot, with is just too glossy to appear 'authentic'.
I guess the bottom line is, I have to use what the yard stocks, cause they're the only place in town which carries the sheets.
Sheet. Thanks.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Great pixs...Do you leave that unpainted?
the owners have taken an offer of $1.025 million .. and they are still unpaintedMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Try a stone supplier if a stone surface would work, such as cut limestone.
This is an easy one. Concrete is the way to go. Forget wood and plastic "wood." You don't want plywood, either, even MDO plywood. It would have to be edged, and your joints between ply and edge would eventually fail.
Those look like simple straightforward rectangles, and making the forms should be a piece of cake.
Melamine is used for the forms, welded wire fencing can be used for the reinforcement, and dye powders are available from a few different online sources for coloring the mix.
Taunton Publishing has a book by Cheng (if my memory is right) that gives all the how-to information. It is all about countertops, but the same principles and methods will apply to you.
Make the forms on a Friday evening, place mix and finish on a Saturday morning, and on Monday, you are ready with your caps to place.
Stinger --
I was just toying with this very idea this morning. Basically, I could just build them the same way as concrete countertops. I will definitely investigate and price this option.
Thanks for the input.
ragnar.. the white color automatically cries out for Azek.. you can glue up some really nice looking caps
From the pics., looks like what you want to build will be near dead flat and in the weather. I'd also assume that the HO is going to put potted plants or something on top of them, so you also maybe should assume trapped moisture sitting on them for long periods.
Whatever you use has to able to last under those conditions. A stone (or cast concrete) cap would seem to be the only way to go.
Bonus question guess: best I can do is "fin wall." I'm sure I'm wrong but it's my best effort for now. ;-)
"A job well done is its own reward. Now would you prefer to make the final payment by cash, check or Master Card?"
I recall them being referred to some bastardazation of para petual stanchions, but I slept since then, so I could be wrong.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I had to do this twice last summer; the first I used 5/4 cedar decking ripped into strips and biscuited together using polyurethane glue, then trimmed the blanks to the final dimension. The second I used Azek, ripped from the sheet to desired size. I only used the 3/4 thickness and afterwards thought that it might look better if it were thicker.
The first needed to be replaced due to moisture, even though it was well sloped. Seal them well. I caulked all joints using PL polyurethane caulk, then painted.
Good luck.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.